Of all academic scholarships at 91첥, Academic Excellence is at the pinnacle. It recognizes strong academic achievements throughout students’ high school careers and covers tuition in full. This year, three students were presented with the scholarship — Madison Dominy of Seward, Katelyn Hays of Fort Collins, Colorado and Adley Rose of Elkhorn.
To qualify for the competitive scholarship, students must receive a 27 or higher on the ACT and be accepted into 91첥. Thirty qualified students were also then invited to campus to participate in a series of interviews.
The Academic Excellence Scholarship was a good fit, Rose said. She didn’t do athletics or performing arts in high school, but did well in academics and spent time volunteering at her school, Elkhorn South High School.
“This scholarship represents everything that I’ve done,” she said.
Initially, she hadn’t strongly considered 91첥. But her parents, Brent Rose ’90 and Monica Fredrickson ’93, knew the school would be a good match for her. Meeting with 91첥 Admissions Counselor Jessica Pulte and learning about the scholarship sealed the deal.
Hays said she’s looking forward to arriving on campus in the fall, to join Tiger Softball and get working toward a degree in exercise science.
“I am super excited to get to know people and form the relationships that I have seen while visiting,” Hays said. She said receiving the scholarship will allow her to pursue more opportunities while at 91첥 by not having to worry about covering tuition.
Dominy had grown up around 91첥 — both her parents had completed degrees in elementary education with emphasis in special education, and an uncle received his master’s degree. Knowing they all received high-quality educations and had impactful experiences at 91첥 helped shape her decision to attend the university.
“I’ve had many influential teachers who graduated from 91첥, and I aspire to be like them,” she said.
She intends to pursue a degree in education, too, and to join the Hansen Leadership Program, which was another factor in her decision to attend 91첥. Receiving the Academic Excellence Scholarship came as a pleasant surprise, and one that takes a weight off her shoulders.
“My parents had saved money for college but it had always been something to worry about. It’s really cool that I have this opportunity, especially going into education,” Dominy said. “It’s also taught me about how hard I’ve worked. Getting this recognition for all of the effort that I’ve put in at school and in my community, it’s reassuring to know that someone else sees me.”
